đ Amid Israel-Hamas war, Hanukkah 2023 mixes fears with festivities đ
The eight-day holiday commenced at sundown Thursday.
By Bobby Ross Jr.
Good morning, Weekend Plug-in readers!
Iâm excited to be back after a two-week break while I traveled on a reporting trip to Vanuatu and Australia.
Among the big news this week: Taylor Swift is Time magazineâs Person of the Year. For fans, Swiftâs concerts are âa religious experience,â according to Sam Lanskyâs insightful cover story.
Meanwhile, the presidents of three elite American universities are facing a backlash âover their refusal to say whether calling for the genocide of Jews violates their policies against bullying and harassment,â as USA Todayâs Michael Collins explains.
The backlash at Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania includes âthreats from donors, demands that their presidents resign and a congressional investigation,â the New York Timesâ Alan Blinder, Anemona Hartocollis and Stephanie Saul point out.
This is our weekly roundup of the top headlines and best reads in the world of faith. We start with the concerns that the Israel-Hamas war has brought to Hanukkah.
What To Know: The Big Story
The war and Hanukkah: The eight-day holiday commenced at sundown Thursday, prompting veteran religion writer Cathy Lynn Grossman to ask here at ReligionUnplugged.com:
With Israel at war and antisemitism, particularly on college campuses, showing a sharp upswing across America, is this any time to put a menorah in the window â to âpublicize the miracleâ of Hanukkah by celebrating boldly, according to Jewish tradition?
Grossman â best known for her time as a national religion correspondent for USA Today and later Religion News Service â talks to Jews across the nation âabout yearning to be simultaneously joyful and careful, to be festive in fearful times.â
Light in darkness: The Hanukkah message feels uniquely relevant to U.S. Jews amid the war and antisemitism, The Associated Pressâ Giovanna DellâOrto writes.
âWe need Hanukkah now more than ever,â a rabbi tells the Dallas Morning Newsâ Joy Ashford.
But parties have been canceled and celebrations toned down, and Hanukkah wonât be the same, according to Religion News Serviceâs Yonat Shimron.
Hanukkah without decorations?: Thatâs the reality for some Jews marking the holiday amid the war, the Los Angeles Timesâ Nathan Solis notes.
The Houston Chronicleâs Eric Killelea delves deeper into the debate over whether to hide or display decoration and religious items during the annual holiday.
Across the nation, most public celebration of Hanukkah âappear to be going ahead without disruption, according to the Jewish Federations of North America, which works with Jewish event organizers across the United States.â Thatâs the latest from the New York Timesâ Jacey Fortin.
Power Up: The Weekâs Best Reads
1. Muslim-Jewish strains: In the U.S., the Israel-Hamas war is stressing interfaith ties, The Associated Pressâ Luis Andres Henao and Mariam Fam report.
Conversations âare becoming increasingly difficult, with the war and its polarizing reverberations in America testing and straining some interfaith relationships more than ever,â according to AP. âFor many, the losses are too personal, the emotions too raw.â
2. California vs. Texas: âThe nationâs two most populous states are political opposites â the liberal bastion on the left coast, and the conservative Southern garrison on the Gulf,â the Los Angeles Timesâ Jack Herrera notes.
Still, Herreraâs fascinating takeout finds similarities between the two states and evidence that âthe gap between Americaâs quintessential red and blue states comes down to tipping points.â
Yes, religion is a crucial factor.
3. A holy makeover: âThe Bible is increasingly going digital, thanks in part to a generation that doesnât read books â even the Good Book,â the Washington Timesâ Mark A. Kellner writes.
âPrinted Bibles remain top sellers, but digital Bibles â like YouVersion â are gaining in popularity and usage.â
More Top Reads
Recordings show how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints protects itself from child sex abuse claims, The Associated Pressâ Michael Rezendes and Jason Dearen report. ⊠At least 17 state-level Southern Baptist conventions discussed â and many approved â sexual abuse prevention initiatives in recent weeks, The Tennesseanâs Liam Adams details. ⊠The current and former U.S. House speakers are both conservative Christians, but only one is on the âfront lines of the culture war,â according to the Los Angeles Timesâ Faith E. Pinho. ⊠For evangelical Christians, frozen embryos are the new orphan crisis, Christianity Todayâs Kara Bettis Carvalho writes. ⊠Lebanonâs Christians are feeling the effects of climate change in the nationâs sacred forest and valley, APâs Kareem Chehayeb reports. ⊠Does Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer have a plot to ruin Christmas â and America? Religion News Serviceâs Bob Smietana investigates. ⊠And in a think piece here at ReligionUnplugged.com, Ryan Burge asks, âHow weird is the religious composition of Harvardâs student body?â
Inside The Godbeat
Congrats to Religion News Serviceâs Adelle M. Banks for her recognition for outstanding media coverage at a Washington, D.C., gala.
And welcome to Darren Sands, the newest member of The Associated Pressâ global religion team.
Charging Station: ICYMI
Here is where you can catch up on recent news and opinions from ReligionUnplugged.com.
How did the Salvation Armyâs red buckets become a symbol of giving at Christmas?
Clemente Lisi explains the history in a piece here at ReligionUnplugged.com.
Lisiâs story reminds me of a Religion News Service feature I did a few years ago on a Salvation Army bell ringer in Texas.
The Final Plug
A biochemist pleaded guilty to an attack on an anti-abortion group in Wisconsin.
The smoking gun in the case?
âDNA from a burrito matched evidence left at the scene of the firebombing,â Christianity Todayâs Daniel Silliman reports.
Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy the weekend.
Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for ReligionUnplugged.com and editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 18 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.